Atheism Takes Hit From SOPA Protests

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Analyst Bert Toast recently explained that atheists might not be so quick to support the SOPA protests come early Wednesday morning. Several major websites have decided to blackout on Wednesday, January 18 to show their opposition to the so-called SOPA and PIPA bills. Among the Internet sites that have chosen to shut down are www.reddit.com and www.wikipedia.com. Toast believes that the protests may have serious consequences for atheism.

It’s just that – of the 86% of atheists who only exist on the Internet, 67% spend all of their time at reddit. Take that site away for a day, and you have significantly weakened the atheist movement.

Toast thinks that most people will not notice an absence of atheists on Wednesday, but those who do will likely be glad. He cited a number of potential positive results from the blackout and subsequent disappearance of most atheists.

Assuming they do not join Occupy or find their old WoW software, many atheists could grow so bored that they leave the basement. Some may go to school. Others might even seek jobs.

Professor Barb Dwyer said she did not know how long atheism will last if there are more protests in the future. According to Dwyer, the Wikipedia blackout is an even bigger problem for atheism than is the reddit blackout.

What people do not seem to realize is that atheists obtain most of their information from Wikipedia. While the site is down atheists will not be able to further their education in religion, philosophy, biology, or other academic interests that are so central to atheism. Atheists will be unable to conduct the sort of in-depth research they are used to at Wikipedia and will need to turn to social sites to fill in their knowledge gaps. But unfortunately reddit will be down as well.

Dwyer went on to say that one site started by an atheist – Facebook – will be open for business as usual on Wednesday. According to Dwyer, this will allow the sort of academically rigorous and meaningful debate that atheists are familiar with to continue as long as they can recall their arguments without consulting the sites that have been temporarily shut down.

30 thoughts on “Atheism Takes Hit From SOPA Protests”

Kelly Sweeney

Is this a joke? Or just stupid? We might, some of us, be offline for 24 hours, but that in no way changes our lack of belief in the fairy tales of religion. There were atheists before the Internet, and there will ALWAYS be atheists…more and more of us, I’m predicting, in the future, as religion the world over continues to run people off in droves.

sevenexxes

What kind of bias, ignorant, opinionated garbage is this? The author couldn’t make it more blatantly obvious that they have absolutely no clue as to what they are talking about and would possibly do better writing about some bronze age desert god.

Zelda Mendeo

“What kid of bias, ignorant, opinionated garbage is this?” Well, in my area we call it a joke. Please inspect the article closely (read the names “Bert Toast” and “Barb Dwyer”). Once you’ve done this, please unbunch your panties. You got trolled, have a laugh at the article and yourself.

Nicholas Gerard

Atheists have jobs and go to school. I do both. I’ve never been on reddit and my Atheist friends don’t know what it even is. We’re not atheists because it gives us something to do. We’ve all already read the bible. That’s good enough to make us disbelieve what we do. This article has no factual substance. And that is what Atheism is about. Truth.

Jessica

I am confused. People who are against science think that just because intellectuals and people open to all ideas about the philosophy of life won’t be able to access wikipedia and reddit for one day are going to suffer and actually try to be what they are (people interested in information who go to seek it elsewhere)? I doubt it, but I also doubt it will affect them much. Life is about patterns, and repetition. One day of no internet will shake up the ones who need to be shook up, it won’t affect anyone else.

Chad Kennard

K. Masse

This is the most laughable pile of manure I have ever had the great misfortune of reading. Made up percentages, and just bogus all over. Why is it that some great, truly intelligent, writes don’t get their work published but sorry excuses like you get a web forum to broadcast your tainted nonsense? I would gain greater insight and knowledge reading toilet paper, rather than this article. *I am not a theist.

Mario Speedwagon

Wandering [EDITED BY MODERATOR]

Luckily for the believers, they only have 1 old book, riddled with discrepancies and contradictions to reference. This book can be found everywhere, mostly in cheap motels. Lucky them eh?
As an Atheist with no Wikipedia and Reddit, who also happens to Not live in his mom’s basement, and who also has a full time job, I have this to say: I find your re-posting of such idiotic theory to be quite a waste of proper grammar and sentence building skills. Now THAT’s a serious consequence.

G-Christ

steveakam

kc

Seems y’all wear some pretty uncomfortable panties, being as they get whipped up into such a knot so easily. For the ones who scream intellectual superiority by not believing in a God, you sure get easily fooled by what is a completely false and intentionally sarcastic spoof story.

defectivebit

Ken

I have never heard of Reddit and wasnt aware of a blackout. Never affected me anyway. I use common sense to obtain my facts. I do not think thousands of scientists spend years on research for nothing. The evidence for evolution is overwhelming The evidence for God is an ancient book with stories passed down generation to generation first by word of mouth then written down in an ancient language then translated. It is full of killings in the name of religion improbable events. Why should a rational person believe all this trash? I believe the world would be a better place without religion. WE would take people for what they are not for what faith they are colour of skin sexual orientation. People are people. They decide themselves what is right and bear the consequences if they do wrong. Hopefully times are changing. As more scientific discoveries are made children who otherwise would have been forced to live as their parents did will turn to thinking for themselves and see the world of science and the wonderful things it has given Mankind.
We Are One -without the help of a god.